Those of us who are interested in eating local, unprocessed Real Food are willing to spend a lot of time preparing that food; however, we are all busy and sometimes we would like to eat out and have someone else cook the food and clean up after it.<\/p>\n
Our problem is finding a restaurant that cares about the quality and nutrition of the food, not just the look and taste, a restaurant where we don’t need to feel guilty that we are sacrificing our health just for convenience. We are looking for restaurants that are trying to move toward more healthful practices in food selection and preparation, such as using local produce, organic foods, grassfed beef, etc.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Most of the listed restaurants have been suggested by readers.\u00a0 I have supplemented their recommendations with as much information as possible about the restaurant’s claim for their food.<\/p>\n I welcome comments and additional information that either support or refute the restaurant’s claims to using Real Food. Sometimes, I don’t include a suggested restaurant because I can’t find out enough information to support its commitment to Real Food. For those that I have personally visited, there will be links to my reviews.\u00a0 I get no compensation for listing a restaurant here or for reviewing a restaurant.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Disclaimer<\/span>:<\/strong><\/em> The qualities listed for each restaurant are largely based on their own claims.\u00a0 Most restaurants have not been personally visited or evaluated, and only two have supplied answers to questions about their foods or their preparation methods..\u00a0 I hope to be able to implement better evaluation in the future.\u00a0 Further, I don’t know of any<\/em> Houston area restaurant that serves 100% Real Food, at least based on my definition of Real Food,<\/a> so you will need to make your food choices carefully and probably allow some lapses when eating at any of these restaurants.\u00a0 I hope there will be a day when I can list a restaurant that is a true, 100% Real Food restaurant!<\/span><\/p>\n The restaurants are listed alphabetically by type, and I give my reasons for including them.\u00a0 Look below the initial restaurant list for fast food restaurants (yes, there are a few!), food trucks, burgers, and coffee shops.<\/p>\n Bellagreen:<\/strong><\/a> an American Bistro restaurant offering a variety of soups, salads, pizzas, entrees, and desserts.\u00a0 Bellagreen is certified by the Green Restaurant Association with all locations at a minimum 3-Star Certified Green<\/a>.\u00a0 The website makes these claims: “we use the freshest and finest ingredients to give you the most flavor possible, including organic chickpeas, spinach, pizza dough, tomatoes, quinoa, coffee and teas and all of our seafood is \u201cBest Agricultural Practices\u201d (BAP)<\/a> certified.” The website also says “Because every item is made from scratch in our kitchen, we can modify items to align with Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Vegetarian, Keto, paleo, Whole 30 and other dietary needs or preferences.”\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 There are five locations in the Houston area: CityCentre, Heights, River Oaks, The Woodlands, and Sugar Land.\u00a0 [Menus]<\/a><\/p>\n Cherry Block Craft Butcher & Kitchen<\/strong><\/a> in Bravery Chef Hall, 409 Travis, Houston. They offer a range of foods from burgers to ribeyes.\u00a0 Their meat is pastured, some from their own animals.\u00a0 According to their website<\/a> “Black Hill Family Farms, owned by Felix [co-owner], is where we source our proteins. We raise the animals by partnering with ranchers throughout the state, we harvest and butcher the animals, and we cook and serve them to our guests. There is no break in the supply chain whatsoever, which is very rare in the restaurant business. Having the ability to butcher animals to our specifications allows us to introduce various cuts of pork and beef that many restaurants don’t have a lot of access to.” They also offer potatoes fried in tallow.\u00a0 Menu<\/a>.\u00a0 Review<\/a> by Alison Cooke, Houston Chronicle. Alison Cooke says the restaurant sources its burger buns from Cake & Bacon<\/a>, a Houston wholesale bakery.<\/p>\n Clean Juice<\/strong><\/a> offers all organic juices, bowls, smoothies, salads, and lattes.\u00a0 According to the website, all of the ingredients are organic.\u00a0 The menu<\/a> includes items like apple pie toast made with sprouted organic bread and salads with ingredients such as organic boiled eggs, feta cheese, avocado, fruits, and nuts.\u00a0 There are several locations<\/a> in the Houston area.<\/p>\n Dish Society<\/strong><\/a>: offers local, fresh, seasonally-adjusted items.\u00a0 Some items include grassfed beef and Gulf seafood.\u00a0 Beverages include local Kickin kombucha, San Pelligrino, organic cane sugar sweetened soda, freshly-squeezed juices, fair trade coffees, local craft beers, and one organic wine.\u00a0 Breads are locally made by Slow Dough Bread Company.\u00a0 Some items mention Himalayan sea salt.\u00a0 The website does not give any information about the type of fats used in cooking or salad dressings.\u00a0 They do mention Heart of Texas Olive Oil as one of their suppliers.\u00a0 There are two locations in the Houston area: Galleria – Tanglewood [menus<\/a>], 5740 San Felipe, and Katy – LaCenterra [menus<\/a>], 23501 Cinco Ranch Blvd.<\/p>\n Down House<\/strong><\/a> offers locally sourced ingredients including farmers market produce, grassfed beef, wild caught seafood, and free-range eggs.\u00a0 Their list of local suppliers include Slow Dough Bread<\/a>, Houston Dairymaids<\/a>, Mill-King Creamery<\/a>, Fat Cat Creamery<\/a>, Dustin’s Eggs, and Plant It Forward Farms<\/a>.\u00a0 The menu changes regularly.\u00a0 Open daily from 9 AM to 12 AM.\u00a0 Brunch on Saturday from 9 AM to 3 PM.\u00a0 The executive chef, Mark Decker, visits the Eastside farmers’ market for some of the produce.\u00a0 Reviews on Yelp<\/a>.\u00a0 Reviews on UrbanSpoon<\/a>.\u00a0 Facebook page<\/a>.<\/p>\n Harold’s in the Heights<\/strong><\/a> is a casual restaurant serving a unique brand of Southern and Creole cuisine.\u00a0 They say that many ingredients are locally sourced and include wild caught seafood and farmers’ market produce.\u00a0 Local vendors include Houston Dairymaids<\/a>, Atkinson Farms<\/a>, Finck Cattle<\/a> (free-range with no antibiotics or added hormones, but fed some grain), and Black Hill Ranch<\/a>.\u00a0 The menu claims include house-made yogurt.\u00a0 Their list of vendors<\/a>. Reviews on Yelp<\/a> and UrbanSpoon<\/a>.<\/p>\n Local Foods<\/a>:<\/strong> advertises a “gourmet selection of sandwiches, salads and prepared meals with local ingredients.”\u00a0 Their website lists these local food sources: Gundermann Farms<\/a>, (their website does not claim to be organic and all their produce may not be local), Atkinson Farms<\/a> (their website does not claim to be organic), Animal Farm<\/a> (organic per Yelp review<\/a>), Texas Hill Country Olive Oil<\/a> (some of their oil may be from out of state), Texas wild gulf shrimp, and Hatterman Egg Farm (free range and soy-free per Urban Harvest review<\/a>, have high omega 3’s and no soy per HoustonPress review),<\/a> Pola Cheese (artisan cheese made in the Montrose area per HoustonPress review<\/a>), and others.\u00a0 Local Foods sandwich menu lists Duck Confit, House Smoked Salmon, and “Banh Mi.”\u00a0 Salads include Spring Harvest Salad and Asian Chicken Salad.\u00a0 Sides include Housemade Chips, but there is no information about the fat used for frying.\u00a0 Beverages include kombucha, beer, and wine, but there’s no claim to be organic for any drink.<\/p>\n Marie Gourmande<\/strong><\/a>, a French chef who makes a variety of foods and baked goods for order and pickup or delivery.\u00a0 The menu includes crepes, quiches, pies (both savory and sweet), cakes, cupcakes, brioche, baguettes, and much more. The chef says “I use organic flour, organic and non-GMO dairy products, and hormone and antibiotic free poultry, beef, and fish. I also make sure to buy most of my vegetables and fruits from local farmers, and use fresh herbs from my garden. There are no artificial colours or flavor enhancers in my dishes.” Address: 16406 Lakestone Drive, Tomball, TX 77377. Phone: 832-534-2345.<\/p>\n A Moveable Feast<\/a><\/strong>: a family owned health food store and caf\u00e9.\u00a0 The menu lists some organic items but also includes farmed fish. It’s unclear from the menu, but there may be additional organic foods in the caf\u00e9. There is a wide variety of vegetarian and vegan menu items.\u00a0 The store sells A Better Way Beef<\/a> and chicken plus organic grocery foods.<\/p>\n Nature’s Garden Market Caf\u00e9<\/a><\/strong>:\u00a0 a small caf\u00e9 and health food store in Friendswood offers sandwiches and salads.\u00a0 Many of the menu<\/a> items are organic, including organic salads, organic vegetable juices, organic tea and coffee, and organic breads.\u00a0 The salad dressings and mayonnaise are house-made.\u00a0 Gluten-free and vegetarian options are available. The store also offers an organic produce co-op<\/a> with a choice of share sizes.\u00a0 They offer pet foods<\/a> and treats, including raw items.\u00a0 The health food store offers supplements, groceries, and personal care items.<\/p>\n Pepper Twins<\/strong><\/a>: a country Chinese restaurant with four locations in Houston.\u00a0 Many menu items are organic (they are marked), and the chicken, beef, and pork are pastured meats from local farms.\u00a0 The chicken and lamb soups are homemade broth.\u00a0 Everything is made in-house.<\/p>\n Rainbow Lodge<\/a><\/strong>: a restaurant that features wild game and seafood. According to the website “100+ year-old log cabin is a comfortable-yet-refined setting for succulent wild game including elk, bison, venison, antelope, duck and quail. But we don\u2019t stop at game. Seafood and steaks are a big part of our menu – including beef ribeye, filet of beef, lamb ribeye, jumbo lump crab, rainbow trout, lobster and, of course, Gulf shrimp. Two on-site kitchen gardens help complete our menu which is inspired by our seasonal harvest, local ranches and growers.”<\/p>\n Ruggles Black<\/strong><\/a>: a paleo restaurant that uses local ingredients.\u00a0 Many of the fish dishes are made with wild caught fist.\u00a0 The restaurant describes its cuisine as “French American flavors, asian spices, and paleo principles.”\u00a0 Zagat review<\/a>.\u00a0 OpenTable<\/a> review.<\/p>\n Ruggles Green<\/strong><\/a>: the\u00a0restaurant is certified by the Green Restaurant Association.\u00a0 The website makes these claims: all meat and poultry products contain no steroids, hormones or antibiotics; olive oil is used for cooking and rice bran oil is used for frying; no food contains trans-fats; offers organic and biodynamic wines; organic and free-trade coffee and tea.\u00a0\u00a0 They say they avoid GMOs but don’t claim to be GMO free.<\/p>\n Season’s Harvest Cafe<\/strong><\/a>, Cypress\/Fairbanks area, is a small, family owned, farm-to-table restaurant serving local and some organic foods.\u00a0 There are vegetarian\/vegan and gluten-free options for some menu items.\u00a0 Their Facebook<\/a> page features their menu which varies daily. The Yelp<\/a> and UrbanSpoon<\/a> reviews are generally favorable.\u00a0 Season’s Harvest Cafe is open for breakfast and lunch 8 AM to 3 PM, Tuesday through Saturday. They are open from 5 to 9 PM on Friday.<\/p>\n True Food Kitchen<\/a><\/strong>, a full service restaurant, boasts a motto \u201cHonest food that tastes really good.\u201d\u00a0 They offer many selections that are organic, biodynamically farmed, local, sustainably farmed, gluten-free, and\/or vegan.\u00a0 Their menu<\/a> identifies which items fall under each category.\u00a0 The website says their food is anti-inflammatory and provides nutrients, both of which are much more than any other local restaurant claims.\u00a0 Some meats are called grass-fed, and some fish items are labeled wild-caught.\u00a0 It’s not clear what oils and fats are used in cooking or dressings.\u00a0 Nutrition details<\/a> are provided for menu items. They are open every day with brunch served on Saturday and Sunday.\u00a0 For more information about the concepts behind True Food Kitchen read here<\/a>.\u00a0 Read reviews at Yelp<\/a>, Foursquare<\/a>, and Zomato<\/a>.\u00a0 There are two locations in the greater Houston area, on Post Oak Blvd and in The Woodlands.<\/p>\n Chipotle Mexican Grill<\/strong><\/a> restaurants have become more open about the ingredients in their foods by publishing a list online that indicates such labels as GMO, organic, pasture raised.\u00a0 With careful choice most GMOs can be avoided when eating at Chipotle.\u00a0 I know of no other restaurant chain that provides as much information about their ingredients as does Chipotle.\u00a0 Chipotle Ingredients Statement<\/a>.\u00a0 [Updated May 24, 2013]\u00a0 <\/em>Chipotle allows antibiotics in their beef<\/a>.\u00a0 [Updated August 12, 2013]<\/em> Chipotle announces the elimination of all GMO ingredients in their food<\/a>. [Updated April 29, 2015] <\/em><\/p>\n D’Marco’s Pizzeria<\/a><\/strong>, a local pizza restaurant with two locations (S. Highway 6 in Sugar Land and Memorial Drive, Houston) that features Chicago-style pizza.\u00a0 They also offer pasta, sandwiches, and salads.\u00a0 D’Marco’s is added to this list for three primary offerings.\u00a0 They use organic beef and chicken for their meats; their flour is unbleached and untreated; and they offer a choice of organic soft drinks.\u00a0 The pizza dough and Italian sausage are made in-house.<\/p>\n Jason’s Deli<\/a><\/strong>: a chain restaurant that has made some efforts to improve the quality of their food.\u00a0 They claim<\/a> to have eliminated artificial trans fats and high fructose corn syrup from their menus.\u00a0 Their website has a Nutrition Calculator<\/a> that gives the basic Nutrition Facts for your choice of customized menu items and lists all the ingredients, some of which are organic.\u00a0 There is also an Interactive Nutrition Menu<\/a> with a list of food items and the basic food facts for each. A Special Diets Wizard<\/a> helps you choose menu items that avoid common allergens such as eggs, gluten, or peanuts. Soybean oil appears to be the primary oil used.\u00a0 Sample menu<\/a> from a Houston area Jason’s Deli.\u00a0 For more information about which items are healthier and which items should be avoided at Jason’s Deli, read Food Babe’s article, Jason’s Deli:\u00a0 What’s Healthy & What’s Not!<\/a><\/p>\n Zoe’s Kitchen<\/a><\/strong> is a fast casual restaurant chain that has several Houston locations<\/a>.\u00a0 Offerings include Mediterranean soups, salads, sandwiches & kebabs.\u00a0 They do not use microwaves and do not deep fry any foods.\u00a0 They claim to use local ingredients where available. Grilling is the main method of cooking.\u00a0 Oils used for cooking and salad dressings are primarily canola and olive oil.\u00a0 None of their foods are organic and the fish and seafood are not wild caught; however, they do place an emphasis on fresh.\u00a0 I also want to acknowledge that Zoe’s Kitchen did answer my questions about their ingredients, whereas most restaurants either ignore such requests or deliberately hide their food sources and cooking methods.\u00a0 Their willingness to provide information is a significant justification for adding the chain to the list.<\/p>\n Flip ‘n Patties<\/a><\/strong>, a food truck that offers “Filipino Street Food & Juicy Burgers.”\u00a0 The burgers are made with grassfed and grass finished beef.\u00a0 Their menu includes items made with meat from farm raised pigs and pastured organic chicken.\u00a0 They make their own buns in-house with organic, unbleached flour.<\/p>\n Elevation Burger<\/strong><\/a> on Kirby.\u00a0 The website lists some organic items.\u00a0 The beef burger is made with organic, grass-fed beef which they grind fresh on the premises.\u00a0 The menu lists organic chicken, organic bacon, and organic grains in the veggie burger. They use olive oil to fry the potatoes. There’s not much information about the rest of their ingredients, so we can assume they are probably just standard fare for fast food restaurants. They do offer an option to get the burger wrapped in lettuce rather than on a bun. For more information about this burger restaurant, read CultureMap’s review<\/a>.<\/p>\n I’ve learned from readers that there are coffee shops in the Houston area that serve unhomogenized, lightly pasteurized milk with their sometimes organic coffee.\u00a0If you really like your coffee, you might want to try these out. Let me know what you think about their coffee.<\/p>\n Antidote Coffee<\/strong> in The Heights at 729 Studewood St, Houston, TX 77007.\u00a0 According to a reader they use Mill-King<\/a> low temp pasteurized milk and serve at least some organic coffees, although I could not verify that.\u00a0 They serve coffee, desserts, and sandwiches and have some vegetarian and gluten-free options.\u00a0 Antidote Facebook page<\/a>.\u00a0 Reviews on Yelp<\/a> and UrbanSpoon<\/a>,<\/p>\n Catalina Coffee Shop<\/a><\/strong> at 2201 Washington Ave, Houston.\u00a0 Reviews on Yelp<\/a> and UrbanSpoon<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Page last updated:\u00a0 April 17, 2024 Real Food Restaurants in the Houston Area Those of us who are interested in eating local, unprocessed Real Food are willing to spend a lot of time preparing that food; however, we are all busy and sometimes we would like …<\/span> Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-334","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/P70SEj-5o","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.realfoodhouston.com\/wp-files\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/334","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.realfoodhouston.com\/wp-files\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.realfoodhouston.com\/wp-files\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.realfoodhouston.com\/wp-files\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.realfoodhouston.com\/wp-files\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=334"}],"version-history":[{"count":158,"href":"http:\/\/www.realfoodhouston.com\/wp-files\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/334\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7952,"href":"http:\/\/www.realfoodhouston.com\/wp-files\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/334\/revisions\/7952"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.realfoodhouston.com\/wp-files\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=334"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Restaurant List
\n<\/strong><\/h3>\nFast Food and Fast Casual Restaurants<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Food Trucks<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Burger Restaurants<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Coffee Shops<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"